NBA DRAFT

November 18, 2020

Tyrese Haliburton

Q. What do you think of the roster for now?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: You know, I love it. I think I come in early, I'm ready to get to work. I think we obviously have another great guard in De'Aaron. I think me and him are going to be really good together, playing alongside him. And I'm best around shooters, so having guys like Buddy and Bogdan, I think maybe we could be really good. I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. As an NBA player, what are your goals?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: A lot of different things. I think first and foremost, I want to be Rookie of the Year. That's 100 percent. Obviously, there's 11 teams who felt like they had a better option for them, and that's their choice. I think I'm in the perfect spot. I love Sacramento, love my fit here. So Rookie of the Year is most definitely my main goal.

Q. I'm just curious if you can share the inspiration with your look tonight.

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Yeah, I think the biggest -- my fashion icon is my dad. Obviously, I've grown up with him my whole life. Seeing what he wears, I knew I wanted to do something loud but not obnoxious. I knew everybody was going to go a solid color, or because it's at home might not even wear a suit. So I wanted to do something I knew nobody else would do or really be able to pull off.

This look was perfect for me, and I love the way it turned out.

Q. Take us through what you and your family's reaction was watching the draft and seeing your name fall to 12. There were some people who were surprised by that, but you called Sacramento the perfect spot.

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Yeah, I mean, we were just waiting to see who wanted my services, who saw I was the perfect fit for their organization, and for a while Sacramento has said they thought I was the perfect fit, that I'm one of the best players in the draft.

You just want to go somewhere where you're wanted, know what I'm saying? Obviously, Coach Walton and the rest of Sacramento as an organization, they feel like I am a great fit here, and I feel the same, as well. I feel like it's the perfect fit.

Q. Was it any surprise to you to see yourself tumble that far?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: No, no, not really. I kind of knew what was going to happen. I'm not really concerned about it. I fell to the perfect place. I'm glad to be a part of the organization.

Q. How are you looking forward to the prospect of playing with De'Aaron Fox and the idea of having two lead guards on the court at the same time? Do you see yourself being able to mesh with him, and how much experience do you have being in that situation?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Well, if anybody really knows me as a basketball player, they know I work best with another great guard alongside of me, and obviously De'Aaron is one of the great young guards in the NBA today.

I think we're the perfect fit for each other. I think we both just want to play fast, get up and down and push the tempo. You hear teams talk about wanting to push the tempo, but we're two guys that will push the tempo.

I think us two together are the perfect fit. I think we're both guys who are going to compete hard defensively and score the ball offensively. I think we're going to work perfect together.

Q. How exciting is the idea of having a guy that a lot of people say is the fastest guy in the league playing next to you, then having an option like Buddy Hield on the wing?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Yeah, I think in Sacramento we do have a great young corps obviously in the backcourt with us three. I think it's great. It's the perfect setup for me. I really am great around shooters, and obviously Buddy is knock-down. And then being with somebody like De'Aaron, who wants to compete, wants to push the tempo is showing up every game. I'll fit perfect within us three.

Q. How different is this maybe than what you envisioned because of everything that's happened over the course of the year, whether it was the end of the college season or just getting ready for this?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: You know, obviously it's been different. Life is crazy right now. But I'm not going to sit up here and complain to you by any means about what's going on.

At the end of the day I'm in the NBA. I know training camp starts in a couple weeks, and I start the season in a month. For me, I'm not here to complain or anything. I'm just excited to get to work and compete. There's obviously other things going on in our world that require a lot more attention right now than the NBA and the game of basketball.

I'm just excited and not really thinking about what could have been if I would have been in New York to shake Commissioner Silver's hand. I'll meet Commissioner Silver one day, so I'm not too worried about it.

Q. Do you have any relationships prior with any of the players, coaches before this process, or are you just kind of coming in and trying to figure it out?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: I don't have any prior relationships with anybody in Sacramento, but I'm really looking forward to getting to Sacramento and meeting people and creating long relationships that are going to help us win basketball games.

Q. A lot of people have said in this draft that you have the best feel for the game out of any prospect. It's not something that can be really measured with statistics, but how do you feel about that, and what can you speak to with that?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Just a high-IQ dude. I'm a student of the game of basketball. I love the game of basketball, so I spend a lot of time watching film, doing the little things that some people might not want to take the time to do. I love the game of basketball, and I'm invested in it with my whole heart.

And now that I'm in the NBA, some people think it's a time to be satisfied, but no, I'm ready to get to work. I want to compete. I want to win games. I'm ready to get after it.

Q. I'm always curious, what did you know about the city of Sacramento? And then from the outside perspective as an NBA fan, what did you know about this franchise coming in and looking at the West, how they've done?

TYRESE HALIBURTON: Yeah, to be honest with you, being from Wisconsin, I don't know too much about Sacramento. But I'm looking forward to learning the place and really calling that place home for the rest of my career hopefully.

I'm just ready to get there and get familiar with the city. I'm from a small town in Wisconsin, so being in California is going to be crazy. None of my family was ever down there and we're not used to that, so it's going to be cool for us.

And just being a fan of the game, I like to think I'm a basketball historian for a 20-year-old. I know a lot about kind of what's went on, and obviously the early-2000s Kings with Bibby and Stojakovic and C-Webb and Vlade and Doug Christie and how it was a very good team, a team that really competed for a championship and almost was able to get one.

And the team Sacramento has now, obviously it's a young corps that's ready to compete, ready to be healthy and be able to truly compete to make the playoffs. I'm just ready to get to work.